Refrigerating apparatus



y 1937. w. B. ANDERSON ET AL 2,080,595

)- REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 10, 1935 mBqlYa SIDNEY C. ERKER Patented May 18 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATING APPARATUS William B. Anderson and Sidney 0. Eaker,

Application August 10, 1935, Serial No. 35,588

5 Claims.

Our invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and more particularly to refrigerating apparatus of the domestic type or the like and has for an object to provide improved apparatus of 5 this kind.

A further object of our invention is to provide improved means for air cooling the condensing apparatus of a bottom-mounted refrigerating machine in a domestic cabinet or the like.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved domestic refrigerator having a bottom-mounted air cooled condensing unit which is quiet in operation and which is accessible for cleaning or inspection.

These and other objects are efiected by our invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which: I

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a refrigerator constructed in accordance with our invention; and

' Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 11-11 of Fig. 1.

Reference will now be had to the drawing in which we disclose a cabinet structure it having a storage or cooling chamber it and an apparatus compartment it formed therein. The cabinet it includes front and rear walls i3 and m it, respectively, the former being provided with an access opening it closed by a door it. The portions of the walls i3 and it which define the storagechamber ii are heat insulating, as shown in Fig. 1, while the'lower portions thereof may be formed of a single layer of sheet metal as best shown in Fig. 2.

An evaporator it is disposed within the storage chamber l l for cooling the same and is preferably carried by a heat insulating closure mem- IO her it. The rear wall M of the cabinet Wis provided with an opening 89 into which the closure it is fitted so that the evaporator l and closure l8 may be assembled to the cabinet it from the rear. This construction is disclosed 5 and claimed in the copending application of J.

H. Ashbaugh, Serial No. 43,162, filed October 2,

1935 and assigned to the assignee of the present application.

A substantially horizontal wall 25 is disposed within the apparatus compartment 52 for defining an air inlet chamber 22 at the bottom of the cabinet; said chamber 22 communicating with the ambient atmosphere adjacent the bottom of the cabinet it by means of an inlet opening 23. The wall it serves as asupport for a reirigerat ing machine 24, preferably of the-compression type and carried by a bed plate 25. A pad or gasket 26 of suitable sound insulating or vibration absorbing material is preferably disposed between the wall 2i and the bed plate 25.

The refrigerating machine 24 includes a motor driven refrigerant compressor (not shown) which is hermetically enclosed by a casing 21 and which withdraws vapor from the evaporator ll through a conduit 28. The refrigerant vapor is compressed and delivered to a condenser 29 by means of a conduit 3!; cooling and condensation of the vapor being efiected in the condenser. Liquid refrigerant passes from the condenser 29 to the evaporator it through a conduit 32 and an expansion or pressure reducing device indicated,

generally, at 33.

Air for cooling the refrigerating machine 24 and condenser 29 is translated by a fan 34, driven, preferably, by a motor 35, the path of the cooling air being shown by arrows in the drawing. A duct 36 is attached to the rear wall it 01 the cabinet it and communicates at its upper end with the atmosphere adjacent the upper portion of the cabinet and at its lower end with the compartment 82 by means of a suitable opening 31 in the rear wall it. Air from the air inlet chamber 22 passes to the condenser is through an opening 33 in the wall 2!. The duct 36 may be attached to the cabinet it in any suitable manner as, by means of screws 30. a

Cool air from adjacent the bottom of the cabinet IQ is drawn by the fan 3% through the opening 23, air inlet chamber 22, and opening 38 and passes in heat exchanging relation with the condenser Ed and the refrigerating machine 24 before being delivered to the ambient atmosphere adjacent an upper portion of the cabinet through the opening 31 and duct structure 36. The heated air discharged from the ducts 35 does not commingle with the cool air drawn in through the opening 23 due to the relatively large difierence in the elevations of the air outlet and the air inlet openings. Noises due to the passage of air through the compartment i2 and duct 35 may be substantially reduced by providing a lining of sound absorbing material on one or more inner surfaces of the duct 3t as shown at it, and by arranging sound insulating partitions ii in the compartment 82. The latter partitions M define a conduit in which the refrigerating machine 2t and condenser 29 are disposed.

- By providing the inlet opening for the cooling air at the rear of the cabinet, we obtain a cabinet structure of improved appearance over conventional structures which employ air openings in the front or side walls. Furthermore, noises which originate in the apparatus compartment and which are due to the apparatus therein or the flow of air therethrough, are less noticeable when the air openings are arranged at the rear of the cabinet which is usually adjacent a wall of the room. I

Cleaning and inspection of the condenser 29 is provided by an opening 42 formed in the front wall is, which opening 42 is normally closed by a cover member 43 attached to the cabinet in any convenient manner.

The walls of the cabinet ll may be continuous from top to bottom with the horizontal wall 2| secured therein, but we prefer to provide a subbase structure 44, the top wall of which defines the horizontal wall II and which encloses the air inlet chamber 22. The cabinet III is, therefore, mounted upon the sub-base 44 during assembly after which the evaporator l1 and refrigerating machine 24 are. inserted in their respective chambers through openings I! and TI. The duct 36 may then be attached to the cabinet Ill so that it surrounds and protects the conduits 2| and 32.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that we have provided an improved air cooled refrigerating machine which is quiet in operation and in which the heated air discharged from the condensing unit is prevented from commingling with the cool air drawn-into the unit. Furthermore, the condenser of the refrigerating machine is accessible for cleaning or inspection, and the duct structures for conveying the cooling air are so arranged that a refrigerator cabinet structure of improved appearance is obtained.

While we have shown our invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of vari-- ous changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and we desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. In refrigerating apparatus, the combination ofa cabinet structure embodying a machinery compartment, a refrigerating machine including a motor and a compressor disposed in the machinery compartment, said cabinet being provided with a cooling air inlet disposed at the back of the cabinet adjacent the bottom thereof, and means for directing a current of cooling air first through the inlet then forwardly of the cabinet beneath the machinery compartment, then upwardly into the machinery compartment and rearwardly therethrough to extract heat from the motor and compressor and thence upwardly along the back of the cabinet and away from said inlet. 2. In refrigerating apparatus, the combination of' a cabinet structure embodying a machinery compartment, a refrigerant condenser disposed in the machinery compartment. said cabinet structure being provided with a cooling air inlet disposed at the back of the cabinet adjacent the bottom thereof, and means for directing a current of cooling air first through the inlet then forwardly of the cabinet beneath the machinery compartment, then upwardly into the machinery compartment and rearwardly therethrough to extract heat from time refrigerant condenser, and thence upwardly along the back of the cabinet and away from said inlet.

3. In refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a cabinet structure embodying a plurality of wall members defining a storage chamber and an apparatus compartment, a substantially horizontal wall disposed within the apparatus compartment for defining an air inlet chamber therein, said horizontal wall having an opening adjacent one of its ends for the passage of air from the air inlet chamber to the apparatus compartment, said cabinet structure including an opening in a rear wall thereof for conveying air from the ambient atmosphere to said air inlet chamber, a duct disposed on the exterior of the cabinet structure and providing communication between the apparatus compartment and the atmosphere adjacent an upper portion of the cabinet structure, means for cooling the storage chamber and including refrigerant liquefying means disposed in the apparatus compartment, and means for translating air from the air inlet chamber in heat exchanging relation with the refrigerant liquefying means and thence through said duct to the ambient atmosphere.

4. In refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a cabinet structure having front, rear, and side walls for defining a storage chamber and an apparatus compartment, a substantially horizontal wall disposed within said apparatus compartment for defining an air inlet chamber therein,

means defining an opening in said rear cabinet wall for conveying air from the ambient atmosphere to the air inlet chamber, said horizontal wall having a passage formed therein for conveying air from the air inlet chamber to the apparatus compartment, a duct structure disposed on the rear cabinet wall for conveying air from the apparatus compartment to the ambient atmosphere adjacent the top of the cabinet structure,

means for refrigeratingsaid cooling chamber and an apparatus compartment, a substantially hori- A zontal partition arranged within the apparatus compartment for defining an air inlet chamber therein, said partition having an opening formed therein adjacent said front wall for conveying air from the air inlet chamber to the apparatus compartment, means defining an opening in said rear wall adjacent the bottom therefor for admitting air to the air inlet chamber, a duct disposed on the rear cabinet wall for conveying air from the apparatus compartment to the ambient atmosphere adjacent the top of the cabinet structure, means for refrigerating the cooling chamber and including refrigerant condensing means disposed in the apparatus compartment, a sound-insulating conduit disposed in the apparatus compartment I and enclosing said refrigerant condensing means,

and means for conveying air ,from the air inlet chamber through said sound-insulating conduit and thence through said duct to the ambient at- 

